Chapter 284 Persuading the Crown Prince
Zhu Houzhao doesn't know why, but as he gets older, he is becoming more and more afraid of death.
Although he knows that he does not belong to this world and cannot accept some of its cultures.
But now he had to admit that he still had some nostalgia for life in this world, for power, and for the life of an emperor.
He originally thought that his mentality would be much better after the arrival of the 17th year of Zhengde.
He had worried about death in the 16th year of Zhengde. At that time, he was indeed worried that he, the Zhengde emperor, would still end his imperial career in the 16th year of Zhengde as in the original history.
At that time, he felt like the people of later generations felt when they heard that the end of the world would occur in 2012. It was not until the arrival of the seventeenth year of Zhengde that he relaxed a little.
But now, Queen Xia's words made him realize that if he could live as long as he wished, it would not be a good thing for many people in the empire.
Zhang Zhong wanted to become the chief minister of etiquette.
Naturally, there will be civil servants who want to become the chief minister of the cabinet, especially now that there is almost no difference between the chief minister of the cabinet and the prime minister.
Of course, there will definitely be princes who want to become emperors in the future, but it is impossible for there to be princes who want to be the emperor for the rest of their lives.
But Zhu Houzhao wanted to live a long life.
Now he began to understand why the ancient emperors wished they could really find the elixir of immortality, because it is human nature to pursue the ability to live forever.
Zhu Houzhao didn't know how many people would be like Queen Xia in the future and hope that they could live a long life.
But what Zhu Houzhao can predict is that if he really lives a long life, people like Zhang Zhong who want to rely on the new emperor to go further will find a way to meet the Lord of Hell in advance.
Zhu Houzhao suddenly wanted to kill all these people.
But he knew that he couldn't kill him. If he killed Zhang Zhong, there would definitely be another Li Zhong.
Liu Jin's violent cough brought Zhu Houzhao back to reality. Looking at the gorgeous spring scenery, he seemed to have an epiphany. He knew that he could not block a person's hope, but he could take advantage of other people's hope. Thus serving your own hopes.
Zhu Houzhao's hope has never changed. He wants to change the Ming Dynasty and the world he lives in now. He wants to make himself the most secure and happiest emperor.
Zhu Houzhao didn't know if he could transform the Ming Dynasty into what he wanted in his lifetime, but he knew that he had to work hard to make his life full of hope instead of worrying about when his career as emperor would end.
"Liu Jin, you are getting old too. There are not many of the Eight Tigers left around me. Zhang Yong betrayed me. Luo Xiang and Gao Feng are both seriously ill and dead. Wei Bin went to Nanjing. Now You, Gu Dayong, and Ma Yongcheng , you are the people who have been with me for the longest time. I don’t treat you as slaves, but as friends. You’d better live a little longer, otherwise I will really become a loner.”
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What Zhu Houzhao said was not a lie. Liu Jin was in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, Ma Yongcheng was in charge of the East Factory, and Gu Dayong was in charge of the West Factory. This was the foundation for him to maintain his imperial rule and the basis for suppressing the civil servants and bureaucrats group since he came to the throne. But now , an issue that Zhu Houzhao has to pay attention to is that the inner court is also changing, and the people who follow him are also getting older. And as this group of people gets older, he will lose his most loyal lackeys, and he will also lose control of the government and the public. ability.
What a terrible phenomenon!
Your own imperial power may gradually decline in the future, and it will not be until a new emperor appears that there will be a high concentration of imperial power again!
Zhu Houzhao did not want to see this phenomenon, because it did not mean that the empire was moving toward democracy, but it was a sign that it was moving toward weakness.
Zhu Houzhao was unwilling to let this happen. He wanted to keep the empire in his hands while he still had the chance.
Liu Jin glanced at Zhu Houzhao. He knew that the emperor he had served for more than thirty years had always been healthier than others because of his years of horse riding training and because he had not suffered as a child like the previous two emperors. Ten years is not a problem. Therefore, when he heard Zhu Houzhao say this, he couldn't help but think that he might not be able to accompany Zhu Houzhao in the future. His eyes became moist for a while, and he couldn't help saying what he had already thought in his heart: < br>
"It would be the greatest blessing in my life for the minister to be remembered by your majesty when he is in his dying years. I think it's time to hand over the seal of the Supervisor of Ceremonies to support him in his old age. I would like your majesty's permission!"
Zhu Houzhao nodded. It was not a good thing for him and other ambitious eunuchs that Liu Jin would occupy the position of Chief of Ceremonies for a long time. After all, everyone wanted to replace him.
Zhu Houzhao did not disagree with his idea of retreating bravely, and because Liu Jin suddenly resigned from the position of chief minister of rites, he thought of ways to consolidate his future power.
"Let Gu Dayong take over your job, and let Zhang Zhong take charge of the West Factory. Let him also join the Department of Ceremonies!"
After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he walked away quietly.
In his opinion, Zhang Zhong's ability to serve the eldest son of the emperor must be due to Liu Jin's operation. If Zhang Zhong wants to become the chief minister of etiquette, it is probably because of Liu Jin's own wishes. He has now transferred Zhang Zhong to the position of chief minister of etiquette. , naturally to give the Liu Jin faction in the entire inner court some hope of retaining real power.
But at the same time, when I asked Gu Dayong to be the Chief of Ceremonies, I naturally wanted to give Gu Dayong an opportunity to cultivate himself personally. If Gu Dayong couldn't cultivate someone who could compete with Zhang Zhong, I would help him cultivate it. one.
Zhu Houzhao didn't know when he would start to plot these things, as if he wanted officials from his inner court and outer court to fight.
"Obey!"
Liu Jin replied, he had expected that the emperor would make such an arrangement, and he was willing to see the emperor make such an arrangement. He believed that only in this way would the emperor be safest, and Zhang Zhong would fight Gu Dayong on his behalf in the future.
Liu Jin invited himself to go to Nanjing to relax. However, before going to Nanjing, he met Zhang Zhong and gave Zhang Zhong'er a special warning: "You will go to serve His Majesty from now on. I have to give you a few words before leaving." , don’t underestimate your majesty, even though your majesty does He is not like a mature person, often impulsive and often desperate, but His Majesty is by no means a simple person. Your Majesty is at least five hundred years better than us! I have thought about Your Majesty for so many years, but I still haven’t figured out what he wants. What!”
Liu Jin sighed as he spoke.
Zhang Zhong is now happy because he has been promoted to Chief of Ceremonies, Bingbi, and Admiral of the West Factory. Naturally, he can listen to everyone's words. Seeing what Liu Jin said, he hurriedly agreed: "Don't worry, ancestor, my son will definitely remember the teachings of our ancestors." , serve Your Majesty with all my heart!”
"It's good that you know and work well for His Majesty. Xichang can do better in your hands than Gu Dayong. Don't get together with Gu Dayong, and don't get together with people from outside the court. Otherwise you will lose your head."
Liu Jin closed her eyes as she spoke.
"My son has remembered what our ancestors said, ancestors, ancestors!" After Zhang Zhong answered, he called Liu Jin a few words, but when he saw that Liu Jin didn't respond, he couldn't help but reach out and wipe Liu Jin's nose, only to realize that Liu Jin had already returned to the west, and immediately she burst into tears.
After Zhu Houzhao learned the news of Liu Jin's death, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but said with relief: "I let him live for seven more years!" On the first day after Gu Dayong became the ceremonial supervisor, Zhu Houzhao let him He made a decree for himself that Zhu Zailei, the eldest son of the emperor, must go to Hanbitang to practice politics for an hour after school every day.
This decree was a shocking event both inside and outside the Ming Dynasty.
Because the Ming Dynasty was still an empire with an autocratic monarchy after all, and the establishment of the crown prince was still a major event that affected the entire empire.
As the eldest son of Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Zailei's political status was even more special. In the eyes of many Confucian officials, he was the most legitimate successor.
Now, Zhu Houzhao asked Zhu Zailei to learn how to handle government affairs, which made officials at home and abroad begin to think that Zhu Houzhao wanted to establish the crown prince.
But in fact, Zhu Houzhao did not intend to establish Zhu Zailei as the prince.
"Lei'er, tell me whether you want to be the emperor or not, tell me the truth!"
Zhu Zailei is only in his teens now, and according to Zhu Houzhao's observation of him, he is not the kind of young man who is precocious and almost demonic. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao feels that if he asks Zhu Zailei this question now, he should be able to get some answers from Zhu Houzhao. Answers that come from within.
Zhu Zailei really didn't think about this issue, or he had never considered it. He only knew that many people told him that he would become the emperor in the future, but he really asked himself whether he wanted to be the emperor in his heart.
"I never thought about it," Zhu Zailei answered Zhu Houzhao truthfully.
Zhu Houzhao smiled happily. Zhu Zailei's answer at least let him know that Zhu Zailei had not deceived him, so he couldn't help but pat Zhu Zailei on the shoulder:
"In this case, I now give you a task. From now on, you have to think about this question carefully. Think about whether you want to be an emperor. After you think about it, answer me. Now I will let you experience the feeling of being an emperor. , can make you more clear whether you want to be an emperor or not.”
As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao asked Zhu Zailei to come to his case: "This is a matter that the emperor of the empire needs to deal with. Look through these memorials and express your opinions. Don't follow them just because you see the votes of the officials below. Officials should have their own opinions when answering! ”
Zhu Zailei still felt it was fresh. He replied "I obey my orders" and took the initiative to read through these memorials.
Zhu Houzhao stood up and stretched his muscles. While listening to Zhu Zailei's opinions on court affairs, he guided him on how to see through the essence of these affairs.
For a moment, Zhang Zhong was naturally overjoyed when he saw this scene. He seemed to have seen Zhu Zailei ascending the throne as emperor, and like Liu Jin, he became the chief ceremonial officer and stood behind the emperor.
The sound of Gu Dayong's footsteps interrupted Zhang Zhong's fantasy. As the new Chief of Ceremonies, Gu Dayong was not willing to see Liu Jin's person replace him one day in the future. In that case, the person who replaced him would It will only serve the interests of Liu Jin's party.
Therefore, what Gu Dayong wants to do now is to get rid of Zhang Zhong, or to eliminate the possibility of Zhang Zhong becoming the chief minister of rites.
"Your Majesty, do you think it is appropriate for me to recommend Miao Ning to replace Zhang Zhong in his previous affairs?"
The first thing Gu Dayong did now was to place someone of his own next to the emperor's eldest son Zhu Zailei. Zhang Zhong was naturally unhappy, and Zhu Zailei didn't know why these eunuchs liked to send eunuchs there. Stuff it here yourself.
Of course, it is Zhu Houzhao who can decide all this.
Zhu Houzhao knew Gu Dayong's purpose, and he could guess that Miao Ning must be some kind of godson or grandson of Gu Dayong without asking.
"Well, very good." Zhu Houzhao did not reject Gu Dayong's proposal. He was eager to use Gu Dayong's hand to set up obstacles for Zhang Zhong who wanted to make progress.
Zhang Zhong was naturally disappointed in his heart, but he also knew that it was inevitable. After all, he was already the director of etiquette, Bingbi, and the admiral of the West Factory, and could no longer accompany Zhu Zailei.
But Zhang Zhong is not willing to give up contact with the eldest son of the emperor. Every day, he will schedule the eldest son of the emperor to come to Hanbitang to study government affairs. Basically, as long as he is on duty, he will wait for the eldest son of the emperor to show up, and then communicate and tell How the emperor's eldest son got along with the emperor Zhu Houzhao, and how to express himself to the emperor Zhu Houzhao.
Of course, the eunuch Miao Ning sent by Gu Dayong also spared no effort to please Zhu Zailei.
Zhu Houzhao saw all this in his eyes, and he had to admit that people's desire for profit is really deep in their bones: "I haven't admitted that Zhu Zailei will inherit the throne in the future. These eunuchs are actively going to Zhu Zailei one by one." He looks familiar in front of the base, but I don’t know if the civil and military officials from other countries will be like this too.”
"Your Majesty, Liu Yu, the chief minister of the cabinet, wants to see you!"
On this day, Liu Yuqiu, the chief minister of the cabinet, who had control over the six ministries of rites, household affairs, military affairs, industry, learning, and agriculture, met with Zhu Houzhao, and also submitted a memorial to Zhu Houzhao asking Zhu Houzhao to establish Zhu Zailei as the prince.
Although Zhu Houzhao had expected this, he still felt a little resentful. He was not disgusted with establishing Zhu Zailei as the prince, but was disgusted that even Liu Yu joined in the fun and showed his kindness to Zhu Zailei. He seemed to feel that he, the emperor, wanted to As if not long ago.
What's more, in Zhu Houzhao's view, it is naturally very irrational to make Zhu Zailei the crown prince when it is not yet certain that he is not a qualified prince.
The emperor of the Ming Empire was not a king in a constitutional monarchy, and his ability largely determined the fate of the country.
"Liu Yu, tell me the truth, why are you so anxious to advise me to make Zhu Zailei the crown prince?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
"I, I just believe that establishing a crown prince early is conducive to the stability of the country. Since the eldest son of the emperor is the legitimate eldest son, it is naturally the most orthodox to establish him as crown prince," Liu Yu replied.
"Really? You must have other purposes. Otherwise, why didn't you suggest it earlier and later? Why did you suggest it after I let Zhu Zailei enter Hanbitang! You'd better tell me the truth, otherwise, don't think that you will wait until When the new emperor ascends the throne, you can still stay rich forever by selling good things to the new emperor!”
Zhu Houzhao said something sharply, which scared Liu Yu and he bowed on the spot: "Your Majesty, forgive me, I do have this idea."
Thank you to the book friends for the reward of 600 starting coins for mourning Wu Huaxia
(End of chapter)