The Prosperous Era of Longwan

While waiting for news from the capital, Wei Guangde thought about Weng Pu's words and suddenly felt that they made sense.

Just like the matter of Prince Yu's Mansion being made things difficult by the Ministry of Revenue, did Jin Yiwei report it to Emperor Jiajing?

If not, there is naturally nothing to say. If so, why didn't Emperor Jiajing take measures to punish the Ministry of Household Affairs?

In fact, many of these things were something Wei Guangde had thought about before, and they were one of the reasons why he decided to seek refuge with King Yu.

However, after being reminded by Weng Puyi, Wei Guangde felt that it was necessary to discuss this matter with Lu Bing after returning to the capital.

Weng Pu knew that for the sake of his family, he had to give up his persistence and avoid the whirlpool in the capital. As Lu Bing, he naturally knew the stakes involved.

Wei Guangde suddenly felt that if he got the approval of Prince Yu's Palace, he would try to communicate with Lu Bing after returning to the capital and pull Lu Bing onto the chariot of Prince Yu's Palace. The probability of success seemed to be very high.

According to Weng Pu, the existing power of Prince Yu's Palace cannot compete with Prince Jing's Palace in any case, but if Lu Bing can be enlisted to support him secretly, then if not surpassed, at least they will be on par with each other openly.

Lu Bing didn't have much say in the court. On the surface, he didn't seem to have much strength, but in fact, many officials had their control already in the hands of Jin Yiwei, maybe they were just waiting for a chance to report.

Wei Guangde couldn't help but think of the eunuch Li Bin that Lu Bing wanted to recruit. Lu Bing had been targeting him for more than a year and a half. Not only was he trying to collect conclusive evidence, but he was also waiting for an opportunity when the emperor needed a large amount of money for the New Year. Impeach him.

Even though Emperor Jiajing still had some affection for his wife, in order to live a good year for himself, he had no choice but to confiscate his house.

The idea in my heart gradually became firmer. After returning to the capital, I would discuss it with Gao Gong first. If Gao Gong felt it was appropriate, he would find an opportunity to contact Lu Bing and test his attitude towards Prince Yu's Mansion.

Wei Guangde chose to stay quietly in Nanjing city to wait for the news, and went out with Xu Bangrui in the evening to have a good time and drink, and his life was comfortable.

It's just that in Beijing, although the weather is still cold, the court hall is already like a pot of boiling water.

After the Sixth Section received the edict from the cabinet, the Etiquette Section immediately organized the Sixth Section to hold a meeting to discuss Guo Xiyan's memorial. Emperor Jiajing had already made his attitude clear, so naturally they could easily find it in Guo Xiyan's memorial. problem.

"A bit rebellious."

This is what many people thought after reading Guo Xiyan's memorial in full. No wonder Emperor Jiajing was angry and wanted to punish him.

However, almost everyone in the service center knew that Guo Xiyan's purpose in writing this memorial was probably to take a risk for glory and wealth after being dismissed from the official position. However, the memorial was too violent and went in the wrong direction.

The ensuing news of the mutiny by the sergeants of Nanjing Zhenwu Camp made the already somewhat turbulent officialdom even more agitated.

Zhou Yan, the boss of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, did not allow the censors to get involved in the matter of establishing the crown prince. Although the censors did not say anything at first, they were still very resistant in their hearts. However, after Guo Xiyan's report, they were also keenly aware that there seemed to be someone behind them. Deliberately muddying the waters.

It doesn't matter who is in charge. What's important is that establishing a throne is not a trivial matter. If you don't do it well, it will cause trouble and shake the country's foundation.

If you don't participate in the matter of establishing the crown prince, then don't participate, but the Nanjing Zhenwuying mutiny is different.

If such a big thing suddenly happens in Jiangnan Taiping, a powerful person must sue the officials to take responsibility for it.

After carefully studying the memorial in the Nanjing newspaper, Wei Guangde has made meritorious service again. Forget it, they are all colleagues of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Our Metropolitan Procuratorate only impeaches officials and does not grant people seals, so what Wei Guangde did in Nanjing City The matter was sumptuously thrown aside by the censors.

Continue to look for the person who should be responsible for this incident in Wei. Huang Maoguan treated his soldiers harshly and was the main person responsible for triggering the mutiny. But if the person died, forget it. There is no need to vent your anger on the dead person.

Then, I saw Ma Kun's name. Although it only appeared once, Huang Maoguan's proposal to deduct soldiers' military pay was actually proposed by Ma Kun, who was the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing at the time. Huang Maoguan was just executing the order of the Minister of Household Affairs.

Well, Ma Kun, for such a big matter, an official with sufficient weight must be responsible for it. The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is just qualified for this official position.

As a result, all the censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate in Beijing took action and unanimously impeached the current Minister of Household Affairs, Ma Kun, for being stupid and incompetent, leading to such an appalling event as the mutiny of soldiers in Nanjing Zhenwu Camp, and that he should be dismissed from office.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty were clearly divided at this time, and each had their own impeachment goals.

In the case of the Sixth Section, Lan Bi and others reported that Xiyan was resentful and wanted to risk his life, and that he was committing a treasonous act. The Criminal Section even suggested that the case should be handed over to the Three Justices Division for trial and conviction, while the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate set out to impeach Ma Kun, the Minister of Household Affairs.

The memorial was sent to the cabinet. Yan Song looked at the large pile of memorials on the desk and had to call Xu Jie to discuss how to draft it.

Last time, Guo Xiyan's memorial was approved by Emperor Jiajing as "the same as the second auxiliary vote." At this time, Yan Song naturally did not dare to continue to draft it alone. He at least let Xu Jie take a look at it and discuss a draft.

In fact, as long as the cabinet vote is not a major matter, it is enough for one cabinet minister to vote for it.

When Yan Song first saw Guo Xiyan's memorial, he didn't take it seriously. It was only after such a big flaw was made that it was rejected twice by Emperor Jiajing.

After Xu Jie arrived, he understood that it was a memorial to impeach Guo Xiyan. He stroked his beard and said: "Sir, the chief minister, the power of disposal lies with your majesty. We only need to ask for instructions. There is no need to make any regulations."

"Well"

Yan Song really felt that he was getting old now. He didn't even think of such a simple truth, and he was still thinking about how to vote. Could it be that without the East Tower, he really couldn't continue to sit in this position.

Nodding slightly, Yan Song smiled at Xu Jie and said, "That makes sense. Is the same thing true for those who impeached Ma Kun?" ’

"Ma Kun's matter is a bit troublesome. He should have been held responsible for what happened to Huang Maoguan, but he is already dead, so naturally he can no longer be held accountable. Ma Kun is the initiator, and I think he should be held accountable."

Ma Kun is not an official of Xu Jie's family. He and Yan Song have already reached a deal, but now they just see how to draft the impeachment memorial.

"Accountability."

Yan Song nodded, "Let's draw it up like this."

Soon, the memorial drafted by the cabinet was sent to the Supervisor of Rites, and Gao Zhong took it to see Emperor Jiajing.

"There is no need for the joint trial of the three law divisions. Since the six subjects all believe that it is treasonous and unethical, Guo Xiyan's evil words to deceive the people in passing the edict, and he is angry for no reason and wants to say goodbye to the emperor, ministers, father, son and brothers in a few words. Since ancient times, Xing Chen has died to gain fame. It's like those who want beauty.

According to the order, the patrol officer immediately executed him, and then sent a message to all the officials in the four directions."

News soon came from Xiyuan that Emperor Jiajing did not ask the three departments to interrogate Guo Xiyan, but directly ordered Guo Xiyan to be arrested and executed. However, in the memorial to the Metropolitan Procuratorate's large-scale impeachment of Ma Kun, the Minister of Household Affairs, But he was temporarily detained and no instructions were given.

Guo Xiyan, who was staying at home at this time, was naturally aware of the changes in the court's trend in the past two days. All his friends in the past had closed their doors, which showed the crisis.

Although he didn't understand what was wrong with his memorial, he knew that he had made a mistake, but there was nothing he could do about it.

In his opinion, he is likely to go to jail this time, and then be tried and convicted by the three judicial committees. At that time, it will be the time to defend himself.

His self-defense in the lobby will be written into his memorial, and only then will he know where his memorial offended Mr. Xiyuan.

Sitting in the study, driving away the servants at home, Guo Xiyan was still thinking about ways to save herself, when she heard a sudden noise outside.

Not long after, there was a series of footsteps outside the house.

"Boom"

The wooden door of the study room was kicked open violently, and a Jinyiwei Baihu in Feiyu uniform had already walked into the room with a sinister smile.

"Who are you, and why did you break into my mansion?"

Although he had been mentally prepared, Guo Xiyan still tried his best to maintain his official authority at this time and shouted coldly to the Jin Yiwei people.

"Master Guo, don't ask questions knowingly. Your matter has been exposed. Come with me."

Without waiting for Guo Xiyan to speak, he waved his hand, and the two captains in Jinyi who followed behind him rushed over and directly pulled him up from the chair. Then another captain brought him bracelets and shackles, and he was quickly escorted out. .

Because there was no order to search the house, Jin Yiwei did not help move the things from the house this time. They just left a team of captains to block the front and back doors and not allow the Guo family to move around at will.

Emperor Jiajing ordered the execution of Guo Xiyan, but he did not make it clear whether it would harm his family. The Jin Yiwei could not act rashly at this time, and had to wait for the palace's order to act.

Guo Xiyan's case was handled quickly. The Sixth Section meeting had already given their judgment. Regardless of whether it was considered manipulation, the evidence was considered conclusive. The Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple received instructions from the cabinet and quickly issued an official document.

On the second day after Guo Xiyan was arrested and sent to prison, while he was still thinking about how to defend himself, he was taken out of the prison and executed.

The news only spread among the officials in the capital after Guo Xiyan was beheaded. Everyone had different opinions on how quickly the imperial court dealt with Guo Xiyan and executed him so quickly. However, they all knew that establishing a prince seemed to be a taboo, and it was easy to do so. Untouchable.

Guo Xiyan was beheaded, and the happiest people were none other than King Jing and Yan Shifan. They saw another glimmer of hope in the court's vigorous actions.

Yes, Guo Xiyan's memorial stated that he wanted to protect the Crown Prince Yu Wang Zhu Zaijing, so he was naturally hostile to the King Jing's party.

When King Jing Zhu Zaizhen first heard that someone had written a memorial asking him to make King Yu his crown prince, and wanted him to become a vassal as soon as possible, he was actually frightened. He was worried that his father would agree to it, even if he stayed in the middle, he would not be able to do so. Good sign.

Fortunately, within two days, news came that made him feel completely at ease.

In fact, King Jing himself knew that in the battle for the throne, the time of his birth was a natural disadvantage. In any case, King Yu was his elder brother and he was his younger brother. There was no equality at all.

The reason why he had this unreasonable thought was actually due to the unpopularity of Queen Yu's mother-in-law and the favor of his own mother-in-law, Lu Shi.

Emperor Jiajing hesitated to express his position after the death of his prince. However, after being stimulated by his contact with Yan Shifan and his words, he gradually came up with the idea of ​​competing for the throne.

By now, he can't look back.

Needless to say, after receiving the good news, a banquet was held in Prince Jing's palace, and his die-hard supporters Yan Shifan and others were invited to the banquet. He wanted to celebrate well.

It seems that Guo Xiyan's blood was not shed in vain. His memorial not only did not wake up King Jing, but further boosted his confidence in fighting for the throne.

His father had ordered the killing of officials who openly supported King Yu, so he had nothing to worry about.

At this moment, King Jing was in high spirits at the banquet. He felt that in the mind of his father, Emperor Jiajing, he should have been designated as the crown prince.

In fact, after the news of Guo Xiyan's murder came out, Prince Jing's Mansion received invitations from some officials from the capital. These were officials who had previously avoided Prince Jing's Mansion, but they seemed to have the same idea as Prince Jing.

But it's strange that although Yan Shifan is eating and drinking with others with a smile today, his eyes are looking at King Jing from time to time.

At the end of the banquet, Yan Shifan did not rush to leave to have fun, but sat there quietly without any intention of leaving.

Although King Jing drank a few more drinks, he still kept his head clear at this time. Yan Shifan's behavior today clearly revealed that he wanted to talk to him alone.

From time to time at the banquet, the confidants of the Yan family were officials of Prince Jing's Mansion. We can say that one will be prosperous and one will suffer, but Yan Shifan did not speak during the banquet. This naturally meant what Yan Shifan wanted to say to him. I'm afraid it's very confidential and important.

"Okay, everyone has drank a lot today, let's go."

As the owner of this place, I saw that many guests were drunk and staggering around, so I spoke at the right time to end the banquet.

Then a chamberlain came in to help the guests out, but only King Jing and Yan Shifan still sat there motionless.

Yan Shifan and King Jing are big drinkers themselves. After all, they were born in families like theirs, so their drinking capacity has long been developed.

Yan Shifan deliberately drank less wine, so he came prepared.

King Jing drank too much at first, but after discovering Yan Shifan's abnormal behavior, he also drank less, so he was still sober at this time.

"Brother Donglou, do you have something to say?"

Everyone had left, and only a few of his caring servants were left in the room. King Jing asked.

"Your Highness, find a quiet place."

Yan Shifan still had a smile on his face and spoke slowly.

Soon, the two entered a secret room in Prince Jing's Mansion. The candles in the room were already lit. Here, except for a small window left on the roof, there were walls on all sides, which could effectively prevent people from outside the house from eavesdropping on the conversations of the people inside.

"But there are still variables in Guo Xiyan's matter?"

Along the way, King Jing was still thinking about the throne. Yan Shifan's behavior was really weird. Thinking of Mr. Yan Ge's status with his father, King Jing had to think about it.

"Guo Xiyan's matter has been settled. What I want to say is another matter."

After sitting down with King Jing, Yan Shifan replied to King Jing's question.

"In the past month, I have been thinking about who else in this capital can be harmful to His Highness except His Majesty."

Yan Shifan said immediately.

"Probably not. Even if my brother is lucky enough to win against me, he will at most arrange for me to become a vassal in one place. But given the current situation, he may not have a chance."

Before Yan Shi could finish his words, he was interrupted by King Jing.

This in itself was a bit rude, but King Jing was a little drunk at this time and didn't pay attention to it.

Yan Shifan shook his head and smiled, "Your Highness, there are actually many enemies we have to guard against, such as Lu Bing."