My father is Jiajing

Chapter 487 The Emperor's Dignity

Inside the Jingshe of Yuxi Palace.

Emperor Jiajing sat cross-legged on a cushion. Xu Jie, Zhao Wenhua, Cao Dewen and the other three had their hands slightly lowered, their heads slightly lowered, and their backs slightly bent, appearing extremely respectful.

"Come on, who's going to speak first?"

Emperor Jiajing did not give any hint to the others and just said this.

After hearing these words, Xu Jie's heart trembled uncontrollably, and Zhao Wenhua and Cao Dewen beside him were not much better.

Although Zhao Wenhua was panicked, he was more hesitant and didn't know whether he should speak in front of Xu Jie.

After all, in the current abode, Xu Jie is the one with the highest official position. He didn't even reply, so how could others have the nerve to interrupt the emperor?

What if I really get into trouble for not knowing how to respect others?
So Zhao Wenhua, in panic and hesitation, glanced at Xu Jie out of the corner of his eye.

On the other side, Cao Dewen was even more at a loss. It was the first time that he was summoned to the Jingshe by Emperor Jiajing. You know, in the past, he didn't even have the chance to see the emperor.

After all, Emperor Jiajing was an emperor who practiced Taoism and did not attend court. To meet such an emperor was harder than ascending to heaven.

But now that he finally had the chance to see the emperor, Cao Dewen was really nervous. He really didn't know how to play before the emperor.

So Cao Dewen couldn't help but turn his head and look at Xu Jie. After being looked at like this, Xu Jie wanted to die. How could they whisper to each other so openly in front of the emperor? Wasn't this clearly telling the emperor that there was something going on between them?

Emperor Jiajing watched the little movements of the three people. Only Xu Jie was as steady as an old dog. He did not show any unnecessary movements or emotions. At the same time, Emperor Jiajing glanced at Zhao Wenhua. He also felt that this person was interesting.

You must know that it is well known that Zhao Wenhua is Yan Song's adopted son, but this matter leaked out from the Ministry of Works, which shows that Zhao Wenhua must be one of the people who knew about it.

But as to when he knew about it and when he leaked it to the Ministry of Public Security after knowing it, this is the focus of Emperor Jiajing's concern.

As for Cao Dewen's performance, there was nothing surprising in the eyes of Emperor Jiajing, but he was still very angry at Cao Dewen's attitude of following others' lead, as if he was not an official of the court, but an official of Xu Jie. How could Emperor Jiajing tolerate this?
However, this was also the time when Emperor Jiajing was about to get angry. He just waited quietly for these three people to see how they were going to answer his questions.

Xu Jie waited for a while but didn't hear Zhao Wenhua speak, nor did he hear Cao Dewen speak. Moreover, Cao Dewen looked at him so tactlessly. If it weren't for the teachings of sages over the years, he would probably have cursed in his heart at this moment.

However, the words of Emperor Jiajing could not go unanswered at this moment, otherwise, when Emperor Jiajing got angry and started to call out names, it might not be so easy to get away with it.

But when Xu Jie opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say.

He couldn't say that he had instructed Cao Dewen to withhold the memorial for a few days before submitting it. If he said that, he would be committing a serious crime. If Emperor Jiajing seized on this and questioned him, he would not be able to explain himself even if he had a mouth full of words.

So Xu Jie was really feeling miserable at this time.

Just when Xu Jie was so angry that he didn't know what to say, Cao Dewen couldn't stand it anymore. He knelt down on the gold bricks in the abode and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Emperor Jiajing looked at Cao Dewen who suddenly knelt on the ground and couldn't help but snort in his heart, is there really a hero?

"Tell me what you want to say."

Emperor Jiajing spoke indifferently without any emotion, and these words were even colder and more biting than the cold wind in the twelfth lunar month outside.

When Xu Jie and Zhao Wenhua saw Cao Dewen leading the charge so recklessly, they each had different thoughts.

Xu Jie really couldn't help but swear in his heart, but Zhao Wenhua breathed a sigh of relief, because in his imagination and plan, he was qualified to be the second one to speak, and as long as the other preparations were made, the rest would be much easier.

Cao Dewen had no idea what Xu Jie was thinking, and even less knowledge of Zhao Wenhua's plan. He knew that the pressure from Emperor Jiajing was too great at the moment. If he did not express his position, the consequences could be very serious, so he suddenly stepped forward.

Cao Dewen said, "I recently received a memorial from the Ministry of Works, which mentioned a great event. After several days of consideration, I forwarded this memorial to the Imperial Household Department today. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me for my crime."

Emperor Jiajing chuckled and said, "Then tell me what the big deal is. I'll see if I can forgive you."

No matter how stupid Cao Dewen was, he could still hear the sarcasm in Emperor Jiajing's tone. At this moment, he couldn't help but tremble in his heart, and at the same time, he glanced at Xu Jie unconsciously.

This action fell into Xu Jie's eyes. Xu Jie really wanted to stab him to death. Is there such a trick? At this moment, Xu Jie now suspected that Cao Dewen was an undercover deliberately placed by Yan Song and Yan Shifan beside him.

After seeing Cao Dewen's little action, Emperor Jiajing was displeased and said, "Why are you looking around? Is there something dirty in my abode?"

Emperor Jiajing's dirty words made Xu Jie feel hopeless.

The "follower minister" he was accused of some time ago had already made him lose face, and now he was called a "dirty thing" by Emperor Jiajing. What should he do?

Zhao Wenhua, who was standing by, saw this and felt it was a surprise, just like a bystander who didn't care.

You know, as the Minister of Works, although the number of times he could see the emperor was limited, at least he could still see him a few times a year. So when he saw such a unique scene at this moment, Zhao Wenhua couldn't help but want to eat melons.

After all, such a good show is not common.

Cao Dewen was so frightened by Emperor Jiajing's words that he trembled violently. He also knew that he had lost his composure and should not have looked back at Xu Jie at this time.

But now the matter is done and it is too late to regret.

He could only bite the bullet and continue: "The important thing I want to talk about is that the Ministry of Works sent a memorial saying that the beams used in the main hall of your majesty's new palace, the Wanshou Palace, should have been made of large golden nanmu wood, but they were..."

"But what happened? You are so hesitant when speaking. Did you do that?"

Emperor Jiajing asked again unhappily.

Cao Dewen quickly said, "No, no, no, it was not me who did it. It was Yan Shifan who replaced the main beam of the main hall of your majesty's new palace with ordinary wood."

Cao Dewen didn't get stuck this time and finished the rest of his words in one go.

But after hearing this, Emperor Jiajing did not show any extra emotion. He just looked up at Xu Jie and asked, "Do you know about this?"

Zhao Wenhua, who was watching the show, was surprised to see that Emperor Jiajing did not follow the rules and directly named Xu Jie. This was different from the script he had imagined. Why was His Majesty so calm? There must be something fishy going on!

Zhao Wenhua was also confused for a moment, and his mind began to be full of random thoughts. At this moment, Xu Jie finally knelt down without any more support.

The first thing Xu Jie said was: "I am guilty, I know this."

Emperor Jiajing said, "When did you know that?"

Xu Jie said, "I learned about it a few days ago. It was Envoy Cao who told me. However, I had no evidence to verify it, and I felt that it was a serious matter, so I did not report it to Your Majesty in time."

Emperor Jiajing said again, "So you still have good intentions?"

But then Emperor Jiajing set his eyes on Zhao Wenhua again, "You put this memorial in there, right?"

When Zhao Wenhua heard the question from Emperor Jiajing, he also knelt down quickly and said, "I put it in the memorial sent by the Ministry of Works to the Ministry of Public Administration. At that time, I also felt that this matter was of great importance and did not dare to block it, so I put it in the memorial sent to the Ministry of Public Administration."

Emperor Jiajing snorted and said, "Does Yan Shifan know? He is the Minister of your Ministry of Works."

Zhao Wenhua said: "Minister Yan doesn't know. He is the person involved in this matter. According to the rules, he should avoid it, so I didn't tell him."

When Emperor Jiajing heard this, he couldn't help being surprised. He looked at Zhao Wenhua deeply and asked again, "Why have you become so righteous?"

After being looked at by Emperor Jiajing, Zhao Wenhua seemed to have come to his senses and quickly replied: "I am an official of the Ming Dynasty and a minister of Your Majesty. I am devoted to Your Majesty and the court. The Ministry of Works made such a big mistake, and I am also to blame. Please punish me for my negligence!"

Emperor Jiajing laughed and said, "You are very loyal. What do you think about this matter?"

Emperor Jiajing threw the question to Zhao Wenhua again, and Zhao Wenhua said: "I think the best solution now is to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the Wanshou New Palace to check whether the project is up to standard."

Emperor Jiajing hummed, "Who should investigate then?"

Zhao Wenhua took a deep breath and said, "I think if the Ministry of Industry conducts its own inspection, it will be suspected of using its power to cover up, so I think it should be inspected by a third party."

Emperor Jiajing asked again: "Who is this so-called third party?"

Zhao Wenhua said: "I recommend the Beijing Special District Construction Department. Although the rank of this department is low, its professionalism is no less than that of the Ministry of Works. In fact, in the construction of these Beijing Special Districts, their outstanding performance is far better than that of the Ministry of Works. Therefore, I recommend the Construction Department to inspect the construction of the Wanshou New Palace. This will be fair and just, and any bad rumors caused by this matter can be quelled."

Emperor Jiajing laughed and said, "Where did this rumor come from?"

Zhao Wenhua hurriedly said: "I have spoken out of turn, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jiajing also looked at Zhao Wenhua unhappily. He was an emperor who attached great importance to his reputation and paid great attention to matters of etiquette and rituals. Moreover, during his many years of hard work, he had also changed many palace names and etiquette regulations.

So from these things, we can see what kind of person Emperor Jiajing was. If the world knew that the new palace he spent millions of taels of silver to build was a defective product made of low-end materials, wouldn't that be a slap in his face?
Therefore, this matter cannot be mentioned. Even if there are problems with the new palace, it must be changed on the grounds that the reconstruction or construction in some places does not comply with the etiquette, but the palace must not be used as an excuse to investigate people and fight corruption in a high-profile manner.

Because in this way, no matter whether there are problems with the palace or not, it will become the focus of public opinion, and when the time comes, it will spread throughout the world. No matter how people in the world view this matter, as long as they discuss it, it will be regarded as a kind of "contempt" for the imperial power.

Which emperor would be willing to let his own affairs be discussed all day long as gossip?

Moreover, Emperor Jiajing hated it when disputes among his subjects were finally linked to him and he was used as a pawn. This not only showed that he was incompetent, but also made his subordinates less respectful and less willing to blame him.

Therefore, the matter of the New Wanshou Palace can only be kept secret and dealt with slowly.

What Emperor Jiajing has to do now is to make these people shut up from beginning to end and not to talk about the question of whether the main beam of the palace's main hall is fake.

As an expert in understanding the emperor's mind for a long time, Xu Jie immediately understood what the emperor was thinking after hearing what he said and seeing his attitude.

So at this time, Xu Jie hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I think that since the new Wanshou Palace still has flaws, it does not meet the completion standards. We should send more people to supervise the construction until it meets the completion standards, and then it can be officially handed over to the third party inspection and acceptance mentioned by Minister Zhao."

"And I also remember that when this palace was rebuilt, the construction specifications of some places were too simple and could not enhance the emperor's power. So I suggest that Wanshou Palace should be redesigned to build a main palace that is more in line with the emperor's aura!"

After hearing what Xu Jie said, Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but hum. This is the attitude to solve the problem.

If this matter becomes a hot topic, regardless of whether it is true or not, people will think that living in this palace will be a terrible thing, given the fact that it is true or not.

However, if the specifications of this palace do not meet the emperor's standards and new expansion and reconstruction are carried out, the situation will be different.

In this way, the face and dignity of Emperor Jiajing would be protected invisibly. The only grievance was that he would have to live in Yuxi Palace for another two years.

However, as long as he could save face and avoid the world's gossip about the new palace, Emperor Jiajing could accept it.

Emperor Jiajing looked at Xu Jie and said, "You are right. The construction regulations of the Wanshou Palace are indeed not in line with the needs of my main palace. It should be expanded and renovated to make it fit the style of the emperor. I will leave this matter to you. I will order Xu Fan to be the Minister of Works and be responsible for the expansion and renovation of the Wanshou Palace. I hope Xu Qing will not let me down."

After hearing this, Xu Jie breathed a sigh of relief, finally passing the test.

Xu Jie kowtowed quickly and said, "I thank Your Majesty for your grace on behalf of my son!"

Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhao Wenhua and Cao Dewen again, and said in a calm voice: "In the future, such nonsense must be verified before reporting, so as to avoid causing a storm in the city and making people think that my palace is run by scoundrels."

Zhao Wenhua and Cao Dewen kowtowed immediately and said, "I know my crime, and I beg you to die!"

Emperor Jiajing waved his hand and said, "Okay, everyone leave."

After sending everyone away, Emperor Jiajing called Huang Jin over again and said, "Keep an eye on Yan Shifan and Xu Fan. Find another reason to let Cao Dewen retire. I am worried about him being in this position."

Huang Jin replied softly: "Yes, I will remember it."

Emperor Jiajing thought for a while and continued, "Tell the cabinet that there is no need to wait until next year. A court meeting will be held tomorrow to start the process of selecting a new Minister of Personnel. Also, tell Yan Shifan to stay at home and serve Yan Song well. If there is nothing else to do, don't go to the Ministry of Works to work."

When Huang Jin heard this, he understood that Emperor Jiajing wanted to speed up the process and did not want to waste any more time. This showed that Yan Song and Yan Shifan had reached the end of their rope. As for whether they could end up looking decent, it all depended on the choices made by Yan Song and Yan Shifan.

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Asking for a monthly ticket~~
(End of this chapter)