Chapter 508 The Power of the Emperor
"…I ordered the Cabinet and the Central Government to supervise the officials and prefectures and counties throughout the country to measure the land."

"…I ordered the cabinet and the central government to supervise the officials and the garrisons and the border towns to clear the troops."

"…I ordered the cabinet and the central government to supervise the officials and the princes' palaces to compile the list."

The eunuch who came from Xiyuan to deliver the imperial edict read out three imperial edicts one after another.

At the entrance of Wenyuan Pavilion, everyone was silent and no one spoke.

Gao Gong felt excited, but also full of worries.

For him, these three edicts from the emperor were what he had been waiting for for decades, and their significance was no less than this new policy.

Let’s talk about the land first.

In fact, it was to re-measure the latest number of acres of land in all prefectures and counties. Whether it was government land, military farms, commercial land or private land, all were within the scope of the re-measurement.

As for the Qing army, this is naturally not a noun used to refer to a certain group in later generations, but a verb. That is, to check the actual number of officers and soldiers in the border towns of the world, because the result is to eliminate those who falsely report the number and cut off the opportunity for generals to eat empty salaries.

The last thing is the matter of the royal palaces compiling the lists.

Compared with the previous two things, this one is actually the simplest.

Because it only needs to check and register the land and property under the names of the royal palaces of the royal clans that are divided throughout the country, and then have the clan office re-count the latest population of the royal clan.

Although these things had already been included in Gao Gong's new policies and laws.

But now with the emperor's direct order, it is equivalent to obtaining the highest authority.

Whenever there are officials or people who oppose the new policy and it touches upon these three issues, it is considered disobeying the imperial order, and it is not just opposing the new policy and bringing the matter into a court dispute.

It was precisely because of this that Gao Gong was extremely excited and worried.

Because it can be seen from these three edicts that the emperor was aware that he did not have much time left, so he used his imperial authority to issue these three edicts in the last moments of his life.

Because after the emperor passes away, these three things will become the last wishes of the late emperor and the laws established by the ancestors.

At that time, even if someone in the government or the public attacks the new policy, they can still be charged with opposing the ancestral laws and disobeying the wishes of the late emperor.

As the chief minister of the cabinet, Gao Gong took the imperial edict from the three eunuchs who delivered it. He swept his eyes over the people present and finally landed on Zhu Zaigui, who had been named the crown prince, and then he let out a long sigh.

His mind is as clear as a mirror.

This is the emperor paving the way for the new monarch!
A kind father is like this, and humans are not plants or trees, so how could he not be moved.

However, after being moved, Gao Gong felt a mountain of pressure falling on his shoulders.

No matter which of these three decrees is about, it will cause a huge uproar in the world.

The movements of the royal families in the various princely palaces might be smaller, but with the first two incidents, these royal families would inevitably collude secretly with the local authorities and attack the imperial court.

The eunuchs who delivered the imperial edict have left.

Huang Jin also left with a complicated expression.

Zhu Zaigui looked at the ministers in front of him, hesitated for a long time before speaking in a low voice: "Prime Minister? The ministers?"

Gao Gong raised his head, but felt that the three imperial edicts in his hands were as heavy as a thousand pounds, but he still smiled: "Your Highness has finally taken the throne of the Eastern Palace today. You should return home quickly to arrange everything, meet with the various supervisory offices in the palace, and move into the Eastern Palace. There are many complicated matters in the court, and I am sorry to delay you. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

As he spoke, Gao Gong bowed and clasped his fists.

Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji behind him were exactly the same.

Zhu Zaigui moved his lips, but he knew it was because of the three imperial edicts.

He sighed silently in his heart, looked back in the direction of Xiyuan, and finally nodded: "The country is in troubled times, fortunately you are working hard on state affairs, I hope you all take care of your health."

Say it.

The newly crowned Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace of the Ming Dynasty, surrounded by a group of guards from Prince Yu's Mansion, walked towards Donghua Gate in front of the gate of the Eastern Palace.

Wait until the prince leaves.

Gao Gong immediately led Yuan Wei and the other two back to the cabinet classroom.

Put down the three imperial edicts in your hands.

Gao Gong let out a long sigh.

Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji, who returned to the classroom, also frowned.

Yuan Wei walked to the side, picked up the teapot, and added a cup of tea to the cup on the Prime Minister's desk: "Your Majesty's fatherly behavior today is clearly paving the way for the new monarch, so as to complete the end of the political system after the death of the emperor, and also to reduce the burden on the new monarch after he ascends the throne. It will be extremely difficult for the Prime Minister to be in charge of the center... We can only face the challenges head-on."

Lord Yuan’s scalp is also tingling now.

The emperor's three edicts directly cut off all his retreat routes.

Logically speaking, even if there were problems with the new policy, the responsibility would fall on the cabinet and the central government. When the emperor came forward, he could find a few people from the central cabinet to take the blame and resolve the problem.

but now.

When these three edicts were announced to the world, the emperor had left no way out and put himself at the forefront of the new policy.

This is obviously inconsistent with the emperor who has been sitting on the throne for forty-five years.

But Yuan Wei knew that this was in line with the image of an emperor who was about to leave but was also a father.

Gao Gong frowned and said, "If not...why would the emperor be in this state?"

Now Gao Gong no longer knows how to evaluate the current emperor.

It took him 25 years from passing the imperial examination in the 20th year of Jiajing to becoming the chief minister of the cabinet today.

Gao Gong knew the current emperor very well.

The emperor had worked hard to govern the country, but later he stayed in the inner court for a long time, allowing treacherous officials to hold power.

It is precisely for this reason that Gao Gong's attitude towards Jiajing has always been complicated.

Because the emperor practiced Taoism and indulged treacherous officials, Gao Gong gradually developed the idea and plan of becoming a figurehead.

But now, Gao Gong had to admire the emperor from the bottom of his heart.

Regardless of the purpose, the three memorials submitted by the emperor today are enough to support the emperor's image as an enlightened ruler and a wise monarch.

The reason why Gao Gong sighed.

But it was also because of these three memorials.

The "Ruo Fei" he interrupted earlier was actually what he was thinking about. If it weren't for the fact that the Crown Prince was only an average person and not capable of taking the lead, the Emperor probably wouldn't have submitted these three memorials before Long Yu died.

The emperor can safely entrust the new policy to the new monarch.

It was precisely because of the concern for the new monarch's ability that these three memorials were made.

Seeing Gao Gong speaking hesitantly, his face was filled with mixed emotions.

Li Chunfang said, "Prince, no matter what, the Emperor's order must be issued to the court and announced to the world. Even if it will cause slander and lead to controversy inside and outside the court, we must do it."

Zhao Zhenji added: "Evaluating the land, clearing the army, and compiling the list, any one of these three things is a big deal. Now that they are announced to the world at the same time, I am afraid there will be some chaos. Shouldn't we summon the Marquis of Zhenyuan to the palace? He is in charge of the Beijing camp by imperial order and is the chief military minister of the capital. We still need to let him know to prevent chaos in the capital."

The impact of measuring land and compiling a register for the royal palace may not be that great.

Even with the land measurement, there were already several disturbances between when the imperial court had just started discussing the new policy and when it began to implement it.

If there was another decree to measure the land at this time, the local people probably would not dare to take any drastic actions.

But the Qing army has not appeared for many years.

Moreover, the imperial court had sent Qing troops before, but in the past they only sent Qing troops to certain places and border towns. This time, the Qing troops would be sent to all the garrisons and border towns in the world.

If this incident really leads to a mutiny somewhere.

That's big trouble.

of course.

If there was a mutiny, it must have been instigated by those generals who were enriching themselves.

These generals in the army are more or less connected with the nobles or officials of the imperial court.

Zhao Zhenji said that he would ask Zhenyuan Hou, who was in charge of the Beijing Camp, to come to the cabinet, which was naturally for this purpose. Zhenyuan Hou Gu Huan was deeply trusted by the emperor, and the Qing army's incident would not affect the other party, so the safety of the capital would need to rely on Gu Huan and the Beijing Camp to ensure it.

After Gao Gong heard this, he slammed the table and said, "Now! Now, get someone to ask Marquis Zhenyuan to come to the cabinet!"

The emperor's order cannot be delayed.

All Gao Gong could do now was to let Gu Huan lead the Beijing camp to alert the capital before any trouble could happen, and secretly guard against anyone causing trouble.

All of a sudden the whole cabinet was in action.

Because in addition to the Beijing camp, places like Shuntian Prefecture and Wucheng Bingmasi also need to be notified.

Even the troops stationed in other garrisons in the prefectures and counties of the capital had to be ordered to suppress the rebellion and were not allowed to move without permission.

But at the same time.

The emperor's three edicts were eventually transmitted to various ministries and government offices along with the actions of the cabinet, and then announced to the world through written documents.

For a while.

Countless people were mobilized by this.

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And in a remote and sparsely populated snow cave thirty miles away from Beijing.

In the low-lying area, a troop of soldiers had been quietly camping there for several days.

In order to avoid being discovered by the villagers in the distance, the soldiers in the entire camp rarely cooked in the past few days. They basically lit a few pots of fire at a specific time, and then ate fried rice and pancakes with hot water.

Just had dinner today.

Except for the soldiers who were protecting themselves from the wind and huddled in a few high places to observe the situation around them, most of the soldiers returned to their tents to avoid the cold and keep warm.

From the direction of the capital, a figure on horseback approached quickly.

When he reached the edge of the low-lying area, he reined in his horse, handed it over to the officers and soldiers guarding the back slope, and then slid down the slope sideways.

He staggered a few times and almost fell in the snow.

Finally, he steadied himself and continued to rush towards the central army to fight.

When he arrived in front of the tent, Zhu Qi stamped his feet, took off his coat and hung it at the door, then walked into the tent.

Inside the account.

Yan Shaoting and Zhu Shitai were leading the generals of the Loyal and Brave Camp to gather together, staring at the geomancy map of Beijing city in the middle.

Zhu Shitai's fingers slowly moved across the feng shui map, drawing a route that eventually led to the Forbidden City.

"This way, we can move the fastest and avoid being discovered in advance."

The deputy general at the side asked, "How long will it take?"

Zhu Shitai frowned and said, "I estimate it will take at most two hours."

The generals looked up at Yan Shaoting.

Zhu Qi also came over at this time.

Yan Shaoting pressed his hand towards everyone and said, "Let's perform the simulation a few more times. We must make sure to fill in all the mistakes and omissions. We should plan according to the most chaotic situation."

He didn't know what the old Taoist priest was going to do before his death, which required him and the Loyal and Brave Battalion to be secretly summoned back to the capital.

So I can only make arrangements based on the most unlikely situation.

After giving the order.

Yan Shaoting then looked at Zhu Qi who walked in and pulled him aside.

"What's the news in Beijing?"

Zhu Qi nodded, took out a paper tube from his sleeve, and took out the papers inside.

"The latest news is that the emperor summoned Prince Yu to the palace today. Afterwards, Prince Yu walked to the east side of Huiji Gate. Huang Jin arrived in response to the emperor's order and announced that Prince Yu would be canonized as the crown prince."

Yan Shaoting's eyes flashed.

This information is different from what I know.

Because what he knew was that the old Taoist priest had not appointed a crown prince until the moment of his death.

But now, while he was still alive, in the last few days of his life, he canonized Prince Yu Zhu Zaigui as the crown prince.

The tent is not big.

Even though Zhu Qi lowered his voice, Zhu Shitai and the generals in the tent heard what he said.

The Emperor has actually appointed Prince Yu as the Crown Prince!
This news undoubtedly surprised everyone, but it also seemed reasonable.

But everyone stopped looking at the geomancer in front of them and quietly glanced over here.

Yan Shaoting glanced at Zhu Qi who still had something to say, and nodded, "Go on."

Zhu Qi nodded, "Then the emperor sent three more imperial edicts to the cabinet, ordering the cabinet to supervise the work, and the court to measure the land, clear the army, and order the royal family to compile a list. The three edicts have been passed on to all the ministries and offices in the capital, and announced to the world."

Suddenly, there was a burst of whispers in the tent.

Yan Shaoting was also moved and frowned.

He also understood the old Taoist priest's profound meaning in an instant.

It was only after he understood that he finally realized why the old Taoist priest had secretly summoned him back to the capital at this time.

Never mind what impact these three memorials will have today.

As long as the central city of Beijing is not in chaos, the current Ming Dynasty court can continue to control the world.

no doubt.

At this time, the old Taoist priest still trusted himself and the 3,000 soldiers of the Loyal and Brave Battalion.

Zhu Qi whispered, "In the capital, there are already three thousand soldiers under the command of the Beijing Camp Lieutenant General Guo Yuchuang. A few days ago, because all the officials knelt at the Xi'an Gate to protest against the new policy, the emperor took the opportunity to summon the Dragon and Tiger Army to guard the palace gate. Now we are also returning to the capital with a secret decree, and there are already three thousand soldiers here. The emperor must think that these decrees may cause dissatisfaction inside and outside the court, so he needs to use a large army to suppress and deter."

Yan Shaoting nodded, because what Zhu Qi said was basically the answer.

He immediately asked, "What orders does the emperor have at the moment?"

Now that the old Taoist priest has made so many arrangements, he feels that there must be other actions.

really.

Zhu Qi nodded and said, "After the emperor issued the decree to the cabinet, he asked the Imperial Household Department to prepare and move back to the Qianqing Palace. According to the time, the Qianqing Palace should have been cleaned by now, and the emperor should have entered the Qianqing Palace from the Wanshou Palace."

Qianqing Palace.

This is the real bedroom residence of the Ming Emperor.

Located behind the three main halls of the previous dynasty.

Yan Shaoting immediately looked up and turned to look at the generals in the tent.

He said in a deep voice: "What day is today?"

Zhu Shitai spoke quickly: "The thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the day of Yi Hai!"

Yan Shaoting frowned and his expression gradually became serious.

His eyes moved around, gazing at the generals of the Loyal and Brave Battalion under his command.

Today is the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the forty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign.

tomorrow.

That was the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in the forty-fifth year of the Jiajing reign, the Gengzi day.

The emperor dies!

…………

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(End of this chapter)