Chapter 524: The People in Wenhua Hall

Well known.

Ouyang Bijin could be said to be an official-obsessed person in the past, and he rarely had a clear attitude on the political affairs in the court.

After all, if you want to make progress, you can't be too clear-cut.

Otherwise, how can you please everyone?

But today.

The Left Censor-in-Chief, who was in charge of the Censorate, was so angry.

Gao Gong, the prime minister who was being scolded, was unable to refute a single word.

Gao Gong frowned: "I... this... this is a mistake made by the cabinet..."

At this moment, even he had to admit his mistake.

Ouyang Bijin waved his hand and said, "I don't think it's a mistake or an oversight. It's just that some people, seeing that the late emperor is gone, are thinking of doing some small tricks and using some small thoughts. The late emperor is gone, and the prince has not yet ascended the throne, so they hide their thoughts and tricks in this will to fool everyone!"

"But are you guys fooling everyone?"

"I think you are clearly planning to do something subversive!"

"You want to deny the late emperor!"

Once the Left Censor-in-Chief, who is in charge of the Censorate and the head of all the censors in the country, opens fire with all his might, he will be as ruthless as a ruthless person.

There was a bang.

Gao Gong was the first to kneel on the ground.

Following closely behind them, Yuan Wei, Li Chunfang, and Zhao Zhenji knelt down together with the Minister of Rites Gao Yi.

Ouyang Bijin stared there, breathing heavily through his nose.

Gao Gong knelt on the ground with a bitter face. In his heart, he had already cursed Li Chunfang from head to toe, and also greeted the eighteen generations of his Li family's ancestors.

But when he looked up, Gao Gong's expression was tense: "Your Highness, this matter was caused by my oversight. I was in a hurry and failed to take care of the whole thing. However, I have no intention of subverting the emperor, let alone rejecting the late emperor. All the mistakes and omissions are my fault. Please forgive me."

Yan Shaoting, who was standing behind, also had his eyes light up.

I was so focused on the new policy and the old Taoist priest's reputation that I actually missed this incident.

This is entirely caused by wrong experience.

I overlooked the words 'since I ascended the throne until now'.

Just assume that the group of people who were punished by the old Taoist priest yesterday were not included in this list, and those who were talking about were the former officials.

Strictly speaking, these words should at least be replaced with something like 'before December of the 45th year of Jiajing'.

Zhu Zaigui also frowned slightly.

If it weren't for Yan Shifan and Ouyang Bijin, he wouldn't have noticed this.

However, Gao Gong and his cabinet members have now knelt down.

Zhu Zaigui could only ask slowly with a sullen face: "Prime Minister, are those who were punished by the late emperor at Huangji Gate yesterday also among those who will be pardoned, summoned, relieved, and rectified?"

“Not in this category!”

Gao Gong answered Zhu Zaigui in a decisive tone almost immediately after he finished asking the question.

Zhu Zaiqi nodded, but then shook his head: "Since it is not included in this list, why use the words "since the late emperor ascended the throne until now"? Is this also due to negligence and omission?"

I have poor talent and a weak character.

But it doesn’t mean that I, who have been Prince Yu for decades and a royal prince for thirty years, am a fool!
There was a snap.

Zhu Zaigui slammed his hand on the table.

The prince finally showed anger on his face.

"This matter needs an explanation!"

He could tolerate these people a little and record the mistakes made by the previous emperor in his will in a "more realistic" style.

For example, things like "traitors" and "construction projects" are not prohibited.

After all, the late emperor did these things in the past.

But no one is without fault except saints and sages, and the former emperor was no exception.

But what happened just yesterday, and those who were punished by the late emperor, are going to be pardoned today by an imperial edict?
This is not to say that the late emperor is about to die and is still doing wrong things!
Isn't this just pointing at the late emperor's corpse, which is still warm, and calling him a tyrant?

If he was not a tyrant, why would he punish so many people before his death and then immediately pardon them after his death?

Is this a joke or a prank?
Gao Gong was completely numb at this moment, and lowered his head: "Your Majesty..."

He hesitated for a long time, but he couldn't say anything.

Yan Shifan even snorted coldly, "Let's find out today who wrote this will. The Prime Minister won't explain it clearly. Now that it's like this, who is responsible for this? The Ministry of Rites? If it's the cabinet, whose fault is it? If it's the Ministry of Rites, is it the fault of Shangshu Gao?"

Zhu Zaigui also hummed twice.

He sighed, put his hands on the table, his face full of helplessness and annoyance.

"I know and understand that the late emperor reigned for 45 years. He had merits and faults. Perhaps in the eyes of some people, the late emperor's faults outweighed his merits, which led to the country's poverty and weakness for so many years, and internal and external troubles followed one after another."

At this moment, I am looking at the will in front of me.

As the crown prince, Zhu Zaigui was full of worries and anger.

He sighed and said, "Yes, the late emperor was not a saint. So the edict you presented today said that the late emperor was bewitched by treacherous people, that the late emperor was arrogant and extravagant, and that the late emperor was practicing Taoism in the palace. I didn't say anything. In fact, I can allow you to write it this way."

"but!"

Zhu Zaigui clapped his hands on the table.

"You can't deny the most fair thing the late emperor did yesterday!"

"Today you have denied what the late emperor did yesterday. Will you deny Xu Jie's crime in a few days? Will you deny the late emperor completely as the Chief Censor said?"

Gao Gong and several others knelt on the ground and kowtowed one after another.

"I dare not wait."

"I am waiting for death!"

Zhu Zaigui sighed deeply, and leaned back on a chair as if he was extremely tired: "I am the crown prince, the heir to the throne whom you are trying to persuade, and the future new ruler of the Ming Dynasty. But I am also the prince of the previous emperor, and the son of my father!"

"The late emperor's body is still warm, and you are going to do this?"

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Gao Gong lowered his head deeply, speechless.

Li Chunfang was filled with anxiety. The late emperor passed away yesterday, and he was actually in charge of the imperial edict. He and the Ministry of Rites drafted the first half, and the cabinet also reviewed it.

The five words "since ascending the throne till now" are the words that he wants to hide deepest in his heart.

I didn't expect the matter to become so serious.

Am I being impatient?
Li Chunfang no longer even had the energy to think about this problem, and had no idea how this situation should end.

However, Yan Shifan's eyes were wide open, and he looked at the people kneeling on the ground.

In fact, he was mainly targeting Gao Gong, Li Chunfang and Gao Yi.

After all, Yuan Wei and Zhao Zhenji can be considered good friends of the Yan family.

The mistakes, omissions and biases in the will must have been committed by one of Gao Gong, Liu Chunfang and Gao Yi.

Should Grohe take the blame?

A Minister of Rites is not a small position. If he is replaced by someone from his side, there will be one more quota for entering the cabinet.

However, the Minister of Rites is not small, but the Cabinet Minister is very big, let alone the biggest Cabinet Chief Minister!
It would be best if we could take advantage of today's will to bring down Gao Gong or Li Chunfang.

For a moment, the Left Assistant Minister felt a raging anger in his heart, and he was eagerly waiting for these three to fall.

but.

Yan Song suddenly spoke up, "Your Highness, the late emperor passed away, and all the officials in the court were deeply saddened. Yesterday, the Huangji Sect also punished us. There are many things to deal with, and the court is seriously short of staff. It is inevitable that there will be omissions. Now that we have found this mistake, we can easily revise it when we re-draft the will to avoid this mistake. Now it is urgent to re-draft the late emperor's will, but who is to blame and who should be punished, let's discuss it after we finish the current matter."

Suddenly.

Many eyes were cast at Yan Song who bowed slightly and clasped his fists.

Gao Gong's eyes were full of gratitude.

But Yan Shifan's face was full of confusion.

If the situation wasn't wrong, he really wanted to ask his biological father how he could have given Gao Gong and the others a way to survive at such a good opportunity.

What a missed opportunity!
Zhu Zaigui looked at the old Grand Tutor, then at Gao Gong and others who were kneeling in front of him.

He sighed and waved his hand: "Forget it, since the Grand Master has said so, I naturally know the priorities."

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The prince said so too.

Yan Shifan suddenly sighed in his heart and exclaimed what a pity.

But then, Zhu Zaigui suddenly spoke up with something in mind: "But today's mistake cannot be left without an explanation..."

He stared at Gao Gong and the others with a dim gaze.

Eyes rolling.

Zhu Zaigui said, "Each of you should submit a letter of resignation."

Yan Shifan, who was originally full of sighs, suddenly had his eyes brightened and stared at Zhu Zaigui with shining eyes.

However, Gao Gong and others felt their hearts sink into the abyss.

After such a few words stirred people's hearts.

Zhu Zaigui then said, "I will follow the rules and regulations and keep you here."

Yan Shifan began to sigh in his heart again.

Gao Gong and his companions felt relieved.

In just the blink of an eye, they were all covered in cold sweat.

Zhu Zaigui turned to look at Yan Song with a smile on his face: "Since the Grand Tutor has just advised me to prioritize the etiquette of the late emperor's death, I'd better trouble the Grand Tutor to take people to draft a new one for the will. As for the cabinet... the late emperor is still in the Fengxian Palace, and it will take time to lead him to the mausoleum. There are many things to do in and outside the palace, and the Grand Tutor has to stay in the capital and can't return to Changping. Why don't you temporarily take over the late emperor's, and also take over my palace's, cabinet for a few days, as a stopgap measure, okay?"

Gao Gong, who had just felt relieved, was once again nervous.

Yan Song is in charge of the cabinet?

I'm afraid I won't be able to see Yan Song return to the cabinet!

When the time comes, Yan Song will return to the cabinet with the title of one of the three highest officials in the dynasty, and as the Prime Minister, will he have to step down and give up his position?

However, Yan Song smiled and nodded, then shook his head: "As for the matter of drafting the late emperor's will, I will do my best to draft it without any mistakes. But since I have just resigned and returned to my hometown, I should not presume to interfere in the affairs of the court. The cabinet members have only resigned and stayed in the court according to your order. As for the matter of sitting in the cabinet, I dare not follow your order."

Gao Gong, kneeling on the ground, closed his eyes silently.

All these things I have done are really a test of my heart.

Just turn a blind eye.

If it wasn't difficult to move now, I would have blocked my ears.

Zhu Zaigui stared at Yan Song for a long time, then nodded with regret: "Since the Grand Tutor said so, I can't force him to do it, so I'll do as the Grand Tutor says."

He really felt sorry for it.

It was true that I was angry before.

But it was false that he asked Gao Gong and others to submit their resignations while he himself stayed in the court.

It was just to see if he could take the opportunity to bring Yan Song, the old Grand Tutor of the dynasty, back to the cabinet.

If Yan Song was in the cabinet, he would be at the center.

Then it will be much more convenient to do whatever you want.

After all, the question of whether Yan Song was useful or not was already clear to the late emperor when he was still alive.

This old teacher is so useful!
If the previous emperor could use it, why can't I?

Moreover, his relationship with Changping is extraordinary. He must not forget that the Yan family is now the hereditary Earl of Changping. In fact, from the very beginning, they have been different from civil servants and have become a noble family that shares the same fate with the country.

If such a family is employed as an official in the court, they would naturally have to be close to the royal family.

In this way, after the military power in the capital is taken back and the border troops and the garrisons throughout the country are reorganized, he will be able to let go completely and reorganize the nine provinces, two capitals and thirteen provinces throughout the country.

pity.

Yan Song seemed to have no intention of returning to the cabinet.

If I force it, the relationship between me and the Yan family might change.

With a feeling of regret hidden in his heart, Zhu Zaigui stood up and left amid the farewell of the crowd.

Now that the prince is gone, everyone in Wenhua Palace is unwilling to stay here any longer.

Arrived outside the palace.

After breathing in the cold and fresh air for a while, Gao Gong finally felt a little relieved.

Li Chunfang sat at the back with his head down from beginning to end.

On the way to Huiji Gate.

Gao Gong came to Yan Song and said, "Thank you, Grand Master, for your help today."

Yan Shifan, who was following behind the old man, looked at Gao Gong's back and curled his lips silently.

Yan Song shook his head and said, "There are so many things to do now, but we have so little energy. It is inevitable that we will be careless and make some mistakes."

Yan Shifan finally couldn't help himself and grumbled coldly from behind: "Is this kind of mistake really unavoidable?"

Yan Song looked back at his son, and Yan Shifan immediately shut up and continued walking behind him obediently.

Gao Gong smiled awkwardly: "Anyway, with the Grand Master here, we can feel at ease and always feel that we have someone to rely on. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the country will naturally have to implement new policies and laws. If we have any troubles, we will shamelessly come to your house to bother you, Grand Master."

By now, Gao Gong had finally understood everything.

The Yan family did so much and said so much today.

It was obviously to explain the rules to the civil and military officials in the court.

But in private, I am probably setting rules for myself.

The Yan family is the most important rule in the court today.

As the prime minister of the dynasty, how could Gao Gong not feel bitter and helpless at this moment?

But he also understood and was also grateful.

At least the Yan family is on the side of the new policy.

As for what will happen to the court when the successor ascends the throne in the future.

Gao Gong looked up at the sky where snow was falling.

I'm afraid even God doesn't know...

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(End of this chapter)