The Prosperous Era of Longwan

In the Ming Dynasty, when serving officials were impeached, they would go home to avoid suspicion and wait for the outcome of the impeachment, or directly submit a petition to be appointed to the official position to show that they were innocent and not greedy for power.

An important reason why Li Donghua was unwilling to impeach Wu Shan easily was that impeachment was too powerful.

No matter what he wrote in his memorial, as the impeached person, Wu Shan had to go home and rest until the emperor gave instructions.

Undoubtedly, this is an offending job and a trick that would never be used unless necessary.

The result of impeachment is that either the impeached person is unlucky, or the impeacher himself is unlucky.

The emperor must give an explanation. Of course, he can also make peace with him, but with Wu Shan's character, he will never accept such a result.

Li Donghua had Gao Zhong's instructions, but in the end he did not impeach Wu Shan. This is the reason why.

But now, he knew that he could no longer pretend to be an ostrich and stay out of the situation.

The emperor accused Ke Dao of adhering to his official salary to maintain his health, and even called out the Li Ke for dereliction of duty in not expressing opinions after the memorials of the Ministry of Rites and the Qin Tian Prison, which had very different contents.

"How to respond without participating in the order."

After reciting the last sentence of the instructions silently in his mind, Li Donghua smiled bitterly. If he wanted to participate in the lawsuit, he would definitely support Wu Shan, but would he dare?

Just because he didn't dare and didn't understand those mysterious and mysterious things, Li Ke chose to deal with it silently.

"As long as you know it, you can go back and think about what to do."

If you didn't notice it before and still can't see anything about it now, then Xu Jie's many years of official career have been in vain.

"Mr. Xu Ge, this is me"

Li Donghua wanted to say something, but couldn't.

"Okay, you still have to decide what to do, but your Li Ke must send a memorandum as soon as possible. Regarding this solar eclipse, and King Jing's preparations for joining the vassal, the Li Ke should also pay attention. If the Ministry of Rites is slacking off, it should be impeached."

"If, Mr. Xu Ge, I were to impeach the Ministry of Rites for slacking off on King Jing's preparations for joining the feudal clan, I don't know if that's okay."

Li Donghua hesitated for a moment and then asked.

Xu Jie shook his head and pointed at the memorial on the table, "Isn't the writing on it clear enough?"

After Xu Jie finished speaking, he sighed again and said, "Eunuch Gao Zhonggao also said when he sent the memorial that his majesty is extremely sad about the laziness of the current government and is prepared to punish a group of officials who eat nothing but the corpse, and the fine is the lightest."

Xu Jie's expression seemed distressed, but in fact his tone of voice was still light. After all, this matter had little to do with him, and there was no deep relationship between him and Wu Shan.

But when the words fell into Li Donghua's ears, it was completely different. This was a naked threat.

"Did Gao Zhong say this?"

Li Donghua asked hesitantly.

Xu Jie nodded, there was no need for him to hide in front of Li Donghua.

The one most closely connected with the cabinet is actually the Sixth Section. Many cabinet documents are first submitted to the Sixth Section and then sent down to the ministries.

Strictly speaking, the cabinet seems to have inherited the power of the former prime minister, but it is not comparable to the power of the previous dynasty's Zhongshu Province. The most important thing is that the cabinet has no power to govern the six ministries.

The left and right prime ministers of Zhongshu Province in the previous dynasty had decision-making power, deliberation power and administrative power. After Ming Dynasty Chengzu established the cabinet, he firmly held the decision-making power originally owned by the prime minister in his own hands. Deliberative power was assigned to the cabinet, and administrative power was assigned to The six ministries are divided into three divisions at the local level, responsible for justice, military affairs, and administration, and are directly responsible to the six ministries.

The cabinet has such power as it does today, but it was formed during the Sanyang auxiliary period, and a more complete government affairs process was established: memorials of all sizes across the country, and even suggestions made by ordinary people to the emperor, were summarized and passed to the cabinet by the general affairs envoy, and the cabinet drafted them After handling the opinions, the Director of Ceremonies will submit the opinions to the Emperor for approval, and finally the Sixth Section will proofread and issue them.

Therefore, in the affairs of the six subjects, the relationship with the cabinet ministers was also extraordinary, otherwise Xu Jie would not have said so much to Li Donghua.

Xu Jie felt that his hints were almost gone, and Li Donghua had to take care of the rest. Although he had a good relationship with Li Donghua, he was not his student after all, and he would not listen to him in everything.

It's just that Xu Jie can't find a better man to replace Li Donghua, and if he really needs to find someone to replace him, Yan Song may not be able to pass it, so he just wants to make a point.

"Take care of yourself."

After Xu Jie said this, he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, while Li Donghua also said goodbye and left.

On the way back to the check-in room, Li Donghua was thinking about how to write the memorial, while Xu Jie just stared at the retreating figure without saying anything for a long time.

Originally, Wu Shan was considered a natural ally for King Yu and him.

Wu Shan was an upright person and often had conflicts with Yan Song. Logically speaking, he should take action to protect him at this time, but Xu Jie knew it from his student Zhang Juzheng. I am afraid it was this character that directly annoyed Emperor Jiajing. King Yu left a not so good impression on him, and the reason was because Gao Gong's advice failed.

On the same day, after Gao Gong left the office, he went to Prince Yu's Mansion and complained about Wu Shan in his words. This also made most of the people in Prince Yu's Mansion lose all good impressions of Wu Shan.

Naturally, Zhang Juzheng would not hide this news from his teacher.

In Xu Jie's opinion, it might not be a bad thing for Wu Shan to leave the court because of this incident.

With Wu Shan's character, sooner or later he will cause even bigger problems, and he might just follow in Xia Yan's footsteps.

If you leave early, at least you will be safe. As for the vacant position, I'm afraid someone has already taken care of it.

Xu Jie is not a fool. At the level of Liubu Tang official, there are only so many official positions, one carrot and one pit. What Gao Gong said in Prince Yu's Mansion may not necessarily have other meanings.

Since Emperor Jiajing had the idea of ​​letting Wu Shan leave, he was just taking advantage of the situation. If this memorial returned to Yan Song's hands, his methods might be more drastic.

Wasn't Li Mo, the former Minister of Civil Affairs, the one who was killed by them in the prison?

When Li Donghua returned to duty, he immediately started writing the impeachment memorial.

"The holy virtue is the sun, and the auspicious clouds protect the sun. You should eat and not eat. This is the result of your sincerity and respect for heaven. The mountains and others don't know what to say, please express your gratitude to Xuan En, but they save you as usual, and the sin cannot be ignored."

Before, Li Donghua felt that Wu Shan's actions were nothing wrong, and that he was just following the rules and acting according to etiquette. However, after he became more aware, he still wrote an impeachment memorial in a eloquent way, accusing Wu Shan of not being able to thank God for his care and not offering rescue. He was guilty, and he himself It is also guilty to repent late.

The impeachment memorial was quickly sent to Xiyuan through the cabinet. This time the memorial was handled by Yan Song.

Due to the influence of the solar eclipse and astronomical phenomena, Yan Song and his family were a little late this time and missed the best opportunity to intervene. Therefore, they did not want to muddy the waters at this time. According to the normal process, Yan Song planned to fine Li Donghua two months' salary, and Wu Shan from the Ministry of Rites Opinions on handling the demerit.

On the second day, Emperor Jiajing commented on the memorial and commented that "since the solar eclipse has disappeared, a ceremony of thanks was built in the Great Guangming Hall for three days, and all the ministers expressed their congratulations."

It was just a demerit. It seemed that the punishment for Wu Shan in this incident was very light. However, the senior officials at the time knew that this was just a temporary suspension of punishment, because the Ministry of Rites was currently busy handling the ceremony of King Jing's enthronement, and Wu Shan was dismissed from his post at this time. The operation of the Ministry of Rites may be affected.

On February 15, the 40th year of Jiajing, early in the morning, officials from the Ministry of Rites came to Prince Jing's Mansion. Reluctant Prince Jing and Princess Jing, dressed in a grand dress, went to the Forbidden City to say goodbye.

Emperor Jiajing had previously decreed that the etiquette of face-to-face speeches was dispensed with, so the farewell ceremony was only performed outside the Forbidden City and Xiyuan.

King Jing wore a royal robe, and Princess Jing Zhai Yi, who was in charge of the rites department, was introduced from Donghua Gate and bowed down to the palace from a distance outside Fengtian Gate.

"It's done."

As the Supervisor of Ceremonies sang loudly, King Jing stood up with red eyes. Only then did he deeply feel that he really wanted to leave this place, the place where he had lived for more than twenty years, and truly live in harmony. Mother and father are separated.

There is a vast distance between De'an Mansion and the capital. If he leaves tomorrow, he may never have the chance to come back.

Princess Jing is much less attached to the capital than Prince Jing, but she is also from Beizhili, and Prince Jing is in Huguang. After going to De'an Mansion with Prince Jing this time, it is extremely difficult to see her family again. When I stood up, my eyes would inevitably be red.

King Jing and Princess Jing looked a little desolate at this time. They did not even have the chance to see Emperor Jiajing when they were saying goodbye, but their current appearance was compatible with today's atmosphere.

Wu Shan, the Minister of Rites, just watched from a distance. He had already anticipated today's situation when he refused Gao Gong's request and insisted on petitioning the emperor to act according to the etiquette of rescue.

After sending Queen Jing away, it might be time for him to leave too.

It wasn't just once or twice that he disobeyed the emperor. Others didn't know it, but Wu Shan still understood it very well.

Perhaps, just last year, Emperor Jiajing had already made plans to remove himself.

When Emperor Jiajing planned to send King Jing away, perhaps he was worried that King Jing was too disobedient, so he wanted to remind him by sealing him a vassal first, so that he would know that he was a vassal king.

However, when Emperor Jiajing asked the Ministry of Rites to prepare for King Jing's enthronement, he asked Gao Zhong to find him privately, hoping that Wu Shan could delay King Jing's enthronement for two years. However, Wu Shan refused and ordered Gao Zhong took out the imperial edict.

How could Emperor Jiajing issue an edict about such a thing? Did he really have the edict to use Gao Zhong to find Wu Shan privately?

Under Wu Shan's supervision, the Ministry of Rites was still busy preparing for the ceremony of King Jing's enthronement. As for why Emperor Jiajing's attitude suddenly reversed later, Wu Shan did not know.

In fact, Wu Shan suspected that Gao Zhong was secretly involved in the back-and-forth between the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, and Prince Jing's Mansion, because several times when the key issues were discussed, the Ministry of Household Affairs would always use the excuse of lack of money. Ask for a stay.

Then Xu Jie was suddenly invited to participate and the relevant agenda was quickly finalized. What happened to Wu Shandu who was still recovering at that time?

And today, seeing King Jing complete the farewell ceremony, as long as he waits until tomorrow, after all the officials see him off, King Jing will disappear from the capital forever, and his mission as the Minister of Rites seems to have been completed.

When King Jing went to Prince Yu's Mansion to say goodbye, the officials in the court also put aside their work and gathered together to prepare to go to Prince Jing's Mansion to salute.

Today, the officials in the capital have been reminded earlier, so today everyone is standing together in brand-new auspicious clothes. At a glance, it seems that the dynasty has a completely new look.

At this time, Wei Guangde, like them, wore auspicious clothes to welcome King Jing in Prince Yu's mansion.

The overt and covert fighting between King Yu and King Jing in the early years seemed to have dissipated with the wind now. After King Jing saluted King Yu, the two brothers held hands and talked for a long time.

Speaking of which, the relationship between the two was not bad when they were in the palace. Although King Jing showed off to King Yu from time to time the benefits he got from his mother and concubine, they were brothers after all, and King Yu was honest by nature, so he did not What to care about.

What's more, there is a second brother above their brothers.

The relationship between the two was estranged and even developed into hostility. It was only after they left the palace that their relationship began to gradually deteriorate.

King Jing also wants to understand now. Maybe he really had a trace of thoughts in his heart at the beginning, but later it developed into not only his own problem, but also the constant instigation by others.

In any case, King Yu is his brother who is one month older than me, so he naturally has the character "long".

King Yu and King Jing were having a lively conversation. Wei Guangde stood behind Yin Shizhen and Zhang Juzheng and just watched quietly. He was not sure whether King Jing would cause any more trouble before he left the capital. Even after King Jing left the capital, as long as King Yu had After not being in that position for a day, King Jing still had a chance.

And in the case of King Yu having no heir, even if King Yu ascends the throne, if something goes wrong in the process, King Jing will still have a chance.

It is better to guard against King Jing.

Wei Guangde kept reminding himself in his heart that he could not ignore King Jing just because he saw the deep relationship between King Jing and King Yu. He would always be King Yu's strongest competitor.

No one knew what King Jing was thinking at this time. At least in front of everyone, King Yu and King Jing acted like brothers and sisters.

On the second day, Wei Guangde, still wearing his auspicious clothes, gathered outside Chengtian Gate early. With all the officials gathered, he crossed the Jinshui Bridge and entered the Forbidden City under the leadership of Chengguo Duke Zhu Xizhong and British Duke Zhang Rong. Waiting outside the door.

At the beginning of Sishi, under the guidance of the officials of the Ministry of Rites, King Jing and his wife entered the palace again to say goodbye, and they still entered the palace through Donghua Gate.

Wei Guangde stood in the procession of hundreds of officials, watching King Jing's honor guard passing by, passing through the procession of officials and entering Fengtian Gate. The three main halls in the gate were still not completed yet, but the throne and other items had already been arranged.

Listening to the elegant music playing in the wall, Wei Guangde knew that he should be kowtowing to the throne.

Today, the scale of the hundred officials is very large. Officials of the seventh rank and above are standing outside the Fengtian Gate, and officials below the seventh rank are waiting outside the Chengtian Gate. Until they see King Jing being led out of the Fengtian Gate, the crown robe he is wearing has been replaced by the vassal king. apparel.

The team of officials followed King Jing and his entourage out of Chengtianmen. King Jing worshiped the gods again outside Chengtianmen before boarding the carriage and leaving.

However, the team of officials did not disband. When King Jing returned to the palace to pick up his family, Wei Guangde and other officials either rode horses, took sedans, or got into carriages like him and quickly rushed outside Chaoyang Gate.

As the flags fluttered in the city gate, groups of officers, soldiers and guards in bright uniforms filed out. Under their protection, King Jing's chariot slowly drove out of the Chaoyang Gate. The chariot passed through the ranks of hundreds of officials, seemingly heading towards Everyone declared that the era of "Controversy of Two Kings" was over.